In the second constituency of Deux-Sèvres, outgoing MP Delphine Batho took the lead with 38.57% of the votes on the evening of the first round of the early legislative elections. But she is followed by Mélody Garault, candidate of the National Rally, who makes a strong push to 34.12%.
As in all constituencies, participation jumped on June 30, 2024, from 50.17% in 2022 to 69.62%: 68,262 people went to the polls. This turnout at the polling stations first benefited Mélody Garault: she collected 22,500 votes, or 13,172 more than Carine Revers, who carried the colors of the RN in the 2022 legislative elections and then obtained 19.4%.
A duel between a national political figure and a complete unknown
Delphine Batho also strongly mobilized her voters: with 25,436 votes, she improved her score by almost 7,900 votes compared to the first round of 2022, reaching her score from the second round, then facing the candidate of the presidential majority, Cécilia Rochefort.
Elected and re-elected since 2007 in this constituency historically acquired to the left, Delphine Batho should keep her seat next Sunday, if we rely on electoral arithmetic: she can hope for a sufficient transfer of the votes that went to Frédéric Bizard (Ensemble), nearly 16%, and Émilie Baudrez (Les Républicains), approximately 9%. Even if these two candidates declared Sunday evening that they were not calling on their voters to transfer to one or the other of the candidates qualified for the second round.
The results in the second constituency of Deux-Sèvres.
© (Infographic NR)
Mélody Garault, for her part, only has a small reserve of votes with the 1.15% obtained by Guy Bourdon. The Reconquest candidate, with 760 votes, did not find the score of Éric Zemmour’s party in 2022 (1,389).
It is therefore a unique duel which is announced for the second round. On one side Delphine Batho, outgoing MP with national stature, former minister, former president of the Generation Ecology party. A political figure who imposed his voice and his style, even if it meant breaking with the government in July 2013 on budgetary issues, or with Nupes in October 2023, marking his disagreement with Jean-Luc Mélenchon on the subject of Hamas.
New to politics
Opposite her, Mélody Garault is a complete novice in politics. She has not held any mandate and has not really campaigned. A candidate “completely unknown” to use the words of the mayor of Saint-Maixent-l’École. A town where, despite everything, she obtained almost 35% of the votes.
She is also in the lead in several municipalities, including in Mellois, such as Sauzé-Vaussais where, with 280 votes, she is ahead of Delphine Batho by 45 votes. And even improves the score of Jordan Bardella’s list in the European elections by 56 ballots on June 9.
